Bulgari’s Serpenti, which means snake in Italian, is one of the best known luxury collections in the world, and Bulgari is throwing a great party to celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2023 all over the world. In New York, the Italian luxury fashion house is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its iconic Serpenti collection with a fabulous pop-up exhibition titled “Serpenti Anniversary Exhibit: 75 Years of Infinite Tales” in the Meatpacking District. I had the opportunity to visit the Bulgari Serpenti Pop Up soon after it opened, and it is a feast for the eyes and senses with classic Serpenti watches, jewelry and bags from past to present on display, and taking it into the future with a mesmerizing infinity room inspired by Serpenti that has been created in collaboration with the famed new media artist, Refik Anadol.
The Serpenti collection, which was first introduced in the 1940s, features a snake as its muse. Although the form that it takes in the Serpenti collection has evolved over the years, it epitomizes luxury when it is made by Bulgari. The pop-up exhibition showcases the best of its Serpenti collection, including heritage pieces that are rarely seen outside of Italy, and special pieces that have been created for this 75th Anniversary celebration.
The pop-up exhibition in New York City is part of a series of events that Bulgari has planned to celebrate the Serpenti collection’s 75th anniversary globally. It is open from 8th June through mid July at 70 Gansevoort Street, which previously had a Louis Vuitton pop up at the same space.
Bulgari Serpenti 75th Anniversary Pop Up
The Bulgari Serpenti 75th Anniversary Pop Up showcases the most iconic designs from its Serpenti collection from the last 75 years, including jewelry, watches, bags, and accessories inspired by the mythical snake. The Serpenti Collection is known for its unique symbolism with the snake as a symbol of rebirth and regenerative powers, and of infinity and the cyclical nature of life. The Serpenti Collection, embodying these symbols representing the eternal cycle of life and the transformative power of change, is on full display at the pop up.
Location of the Pop Up
The Serpenti Anniversary Exhibit: 75 Years of Infinite Tales pop-up store is located in the Meatpacking District in Manhattan. This is a very trendy neighborhood that is well known for its high-end fashion boutiques, restaurants, and nightlife, and the store is located a block away from the Whitney Museum of American Art at 70 Gansevoort Street, which is a popular space for high end luxury pop ups.
The exhibition is open to the public and free of charge, and definitely worth a visit for an insight into the journey of one of the world’s most well known collections.
Heritage Collection
The Bulgari Serpenti pop up features priceless vintage items from the Serpenti collection from over the years that are part of the Bulgari’s Heritage collection. These rarely travel outside Italy, and it was a treat to be able to just walk in and see them in the Meatpacking District.
There is a fascinating collection of Bulgari ads from over the years.
Bulgari Serpenti High Jewelry Pieces
The pop up has a collection of seven unique High Jewelry pieces that commanded their own corner. It was easy to see these are in a league of their own and then some.
Bulgari Handbags
The pop up showcased a collection of Bulgari handbags, including a one of a kind crocodile handbag that was inspired by shields and symbols of the Roman empire with an application of 24k gold foil, and a Diamond Dusy Serpenti 75th Special edition bag.
Making of Bulgari Serpenti Jewelry
The Exhibition gives us a peek behind the curtain to show how Bulgari jewelry is made with two jewelers working on an actual Serpenti necklace in the pop up.
As you can see below, there is a mould that is used to create a tree with the various pieces that go into this Serpenti necklace.
These are then polished by hand to get them to the desired state, and then each diamond is set by hand as part of the process.
Needless to say the pop up will be long gone by the time the necklace is finally done in 9-12 months, but it was a fascinating insight into the painstaking work that goes in by hand to create a piece of Bulgari jewelry.
Bulgari Serpenti collection
There was a wide range of the Bulgari Serpenti collection on view and for sale, and the staff at the pop up was very generous with their time to walk through the collection and even to try it on. They even had a Bulgari gemologist at the exhibition to answer any questions.
Refik Anadol Collaboration
As part of the pop-up exhibition, Bvlgari collaborated with Turkish media artist Refik Anadol – who currently has an exhibit on at the MoMA – to create a unique installation inspired by the Serpenti collection. To showcase this, there is a door at the back of the pop up that leads to a Refik Anadol infinity room which features artwork that the artist has created to speak to the perpetual transformation that surrounds us in nature using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
With a dataset of over 70 million photographs of flowers, and of the Serpenti collection, the infinity room is in constant motion any which way you look, and the only thing distracting from this visual feast is an Exit sign above the door.
Refik Anadol’s exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art is a showstopper in more ways than one, but being surrounded by his creation in an infinity room setting took it a notch above at the pop up, and I found it difficult to leave even after seeing his creation all the way through multiple times.
Bvlgari Serpenti Celebrity Muses
Bvlgari Serpenti has always been a favorite among celebrities, who have been spotted wearing the iconic jewelry and watch collection on red carpets and in their daily lives. Over the years, Bvlgari has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry to create unique and stunning pieces that capture the essence of the Serpenti.
Elizabeth Taylor
One of the most famous celebrities that loved Bulgari was Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor. In the 1960s, she famously wore a Serpenti bracelet on the set of the film Cleopatra, and she was often seen wearing pieces from the collection at events and in her personal life.
As an amazing coincidence, the movie Cleopatra, which Elizabeth Taylor starred in wearing her Bulgari Serpenti bracelet, premiered in NYC 60 years ago on June 12th, 1963.
Diana Vreeland
Diana Vreeland, the legendary fashion editor, was regularly seen sporting Bulgari, and famously wore a Bulgari belt as a necklace which captured her unique sense of style.
Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway is another celebrity who has been spotted wearing Serpenti pieces on the red carpet, and these days she is gracing the billboards of Times Square in Bulgari ads that are being showcased around the clock.
Zendaya
Zendaya is featured in Bulgari ads that are blanketing Times Square, which is truly the crossroads of the world, in a loop in 2023.
Bulgari Pop Up Closing Thoughts
I say Bulgari, you say Bvlgari, I say Serpenti, you say Serpentine….
Whether you spell it Bulgari, or its Latin name Bvlgari, and whether you call it Serpenti, or mistakenly call it Serpentine which is all too common online, there is no doubting the fact that Bvlgari Serpenti is an iconic luxury brand which has evolved to retain its shine over the years, especially with fashion and film icons keeping Serpenti in the public eye. It is very deserving of the Serpenti Anniversary Exhibit: 75 Years of Infinite Tales that graced the Meatpacking District to celebrate its 75 years of history, similar to other exhibits that have been making their way to New York recently, and open for all to visit.
